Our story…
The Sunset Grove is the work of Fabio Patiño and María Fernanda Angarita Patiño. We grew up in the mountains of Colombia, in families that measured their years in harvests. Farming was the landscape of our childhood, and it taught us that real understanding of the land comes from watching, waiting, making mistakes, and adjusting.
In 2020 we came to the hills of Escondido, California, and took on an avocado orchard that had been growing for twenty years. Today our 13 acre grove supports 1,200 Hass trees producing rich, nutritious and healthy avocados. At 1,550 feet above sea level and facing the Pacific Ocean, the grove is cooled by ocean breeze and fog, sheltered by the mountains, and warmed by long California summers. Together they give us the ideal microclimate.
Our hearts still take us back to our Colombian roots, so in 2021 we planted the coffee we grew up with, Geisha and Catuaí, beneath the avocado canopy. Every cherry is grown, picked by hand, fermented with care, dried slowly in the shade, and roasted here on the farm. Years of fallen leaves have created a soil so alive that we believe this hillside will produce some of the highest quality coffees in the world.
We are committed to the land. The delicate balance of trees, shrubs, land, birds, coyotes and all that lies between them is our passion.
We are not only preserving what we have – we are creating and regenerating a new environment focused on animal and plant diversity but more importantly, ensuring we develop and create a healthy soil. One that can nurture through food.
How do we improve our soil health through our decisions and actions?
- It helps soil conserve fresh water. A resource so precious that we need to focus the majority of our efforts towards the best use of it
- It protects microorganisms in the soil to provide key nutrients for our trees which will translate in the healthy, tasty and nutritious food
- It regenerates, providing more of that perfect environment
We believe that by following key principles behind the dynamic system of regenerative agriculture we can restore soil and ecosystem health, address inequity, and leave our land, waters and climate in better shape for our children.
We farm in harmony with nature.
We prioritize soil health.
We go beyond organic.
